here's what i'm talking about. president obama has eight stops on his agenda for this weekend, that includes two separate trips to ohio. mitt romney has six states on his travel itinerary. of course, that includes two stops each in iowa and colorado. romney is also stopping in the normally democratic stronghold of cleveland, ohio. the latest nbc news/"wall street journal"/marist poll shows romney trailing. the president has a lead in florida, at this point, two point. that is well within the margin of error and, finally, here is the national picture and it could not be closer. our poll of polls shows 47% apiece. president obama is slamming governor romney over an ad his campaign is running in the key battleground state of ohio. watch. >> look, i understand governor romney has had a tough time here in ohio because he was against saving the auto industry.

and it's hard to run away from a position when you're on videotape saying, let detroit go bankrupt. but, but, you've got to own what you say. this isn't a game. these are people's jobs at stake. these are people's lives. you don't scare hard-working americans just to scare up some votes. that's not what being president is all about. >> the president was responding to this romney ad that implied the auto bailout plan failed and chrysler will move jobs to china. that's a claim that chrysler has vehemently denied. on the other side of ohio, mitt romney sharpened his attack on obama focusing on the economy. >> now, i know when we're elected the economy and american jobs will still be stagnant. but i won't waste any time complaining about my predecessor. i will spend my effort trying to

pass partisan legislation unrelated to economic growth. from day one i'll go to work to help americans get back to work. >> romney called yesterday's job's report, "a sad reminder the economy is at a virtual stand it still." unchanged at 7.9%. while the obama campaign touted the 171,000 jobs added with improved numbers in september and august. we have crews spread out across the country following the campaigns on the last weekend before the election. president obama will make his first stop today and paul steinhauser following mitt romney in pennsylvania. let's start with dan in ohio. what is on the president's schedule sph. >> well, you can expect that the president will continue to hammer away at this mitt romney on the auto industry. you pointed out there at the top of the show how this was a big push by the president yesterday in going after that ad by suggesting that jobs from a jeep

plant would go overseas to china and, in fact yesterday, the president was recounting that he heard that some employees had gone to their managers with concerns that they would lose their jobs through china. so, the president using this big push to show, in his words, that mitt romney is massaging the facts. so, we expect that the president will continue to make that argument here today. the reason for that is because, as you know, so many jobs here in the state of ohio dependent on the auto industry and the bailout is something the president has been touting for a long time, but certainly ramped up in these final days as the president makes a big push to election day, victor. >> the president took a few days off the campaign trail to deal with the superstorm. how is he staying on top of the recovery efforts while he's campaigning? >> that's right. he does continue to stay on top of it. a white house official telling us that overnight the white house did receive briefings and

this morning he will convene another meeting with his emergency management team or his homeland security team to get updates on the response that's taken place by federal authorities. he'll also be talking with governors and also mayors, governors from the states of new jersey, new york and connecticut. and then we're told that later in the day various high-level administration officials, cabinet secretaries will be fanning out across the impacted areas to not only survey the damage up close, but to listen and to find out what the needs are so that the needs can get to where they're needed most, victor. >> busy, busy final weekend. dan lothian in ohio, thank you, sir. let's move from ohio to pennsylvania. a state that seemingly wasn't in play but now seems to be a focus for the campaigns. paul steinhauser is live in harrisburg, pennsylvania, this morning. that is where paul ryan will be later today. paul, good morning to you.

i guess the question is, is pennsylvania really in play? >> that's what everybody is asking, randi. the last time a republican won pennsylvania in a presidential election? 1988. george herbert walker bush, it's been a while. but what's going on here? paul ryan, as you mentioned, he's coming right here to harrisbu harrisburg, that's why we're here. on the flip side, it seems that the obama campaign now putting some surrogates here. jill biden, the wife of the vice president will be here in pennsylvania later today, as well. guess what, former president bill clinton coming to pennsylvania to campaign on monday. you turn on the tvs here, randi, all you see are campaign commercials. i saw a ton in the local news. 10 million in the final days and the romney campaign is outspending the obama campaign two to one here in pennsylvania. 20 electoral votes at stake. here is the latest poll in pennsylvania. franklin and marshal, a four-point advantage for the president. very tight. that's within the sampling

error. the president used to have a double-digit lead in pennsylvania. now it's getting crowded. randi, the obama campaign says this is a sign of desperation by the romney campaign that they can't win in wisconsin, ohio and that's why they're coming to pennsylvania. romney campaign says just the opposite. they're trying to expand the map and they think they can do it here in pennsylvania. >> if you look at the math and it does work, it can certainly steal a big prize. this is a popular but pretty unsuccessful strategy for republicans, right? they have tried this over and over. >> yeah, go back four years ago. john mccain and sarah palin came here and didn't work out. you go out, george w. bush tried it and bob dole in '96. no republican has been successful since 1988 here in pennsylvania. we're going to keep our eyes on pennsylvania today with paul ryan and tomorrow when mitt romney comes through and i guess we'll find out on tuesday who was right. randi. >> we certainly will. hopefully we'll find out on

tuesday the way this is going. >> yes, good point. >> paul steinhauser, thank you very much. much more ahead this hour. >> here's what's coming up. sandy has brought devastation across the northeast, but it may also have been the october surprise. we have the latest on the recovery efforts and sandy's impact on the election. battleground wisconsin. three days left and now it's all about the ground game. we'll take you to one of the contentious swing states. >> i'll tired of both obama and mitt romney. she can't vote, but she's already crying about the election. find out why this toddler just can't take it any more. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol

as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios ...but you still have to go to the gym. those little things for you, life's about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right.

you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

good morning, atlanta. nice to see some lights on. atlantans are pretty lucky there. some power in the city. a balmy 48 degrees. 11 minutes after the hour and this morning more people in the northeast will find they have power for the first time since monday. about 2.7 million people could, though, be in the dark for another day. in some areas, some people are banned from entering their homes and the national guard is checking for more victims. the death toll from superstorm sandy rose to 106 last night, that's just in the u.s. cnn jim clancy is in long island beach, new jersey, an area where houses were floating down the streets. jim, we hear some good news of some signs of improvement this morning. >> well, you know, the improvement is going to come and certainly they're out there working every day. they're digging away. they're trying to literally like

snow plows tear through the sand dunes that have built up. some as high as six feet on this island, covering up roadways and plowing through all of that and they're working on, i've seen people coming out and checking the power lines and we have people coming out and the entire underside of some of these homes that were up on stilts or posts or whatever you want to call it, pili pylons. they may have to come down. all of the homes, they're ensuring that they have a little bit of stability. you know, this was quite a storm. i talked to one of the residents, he refuses to leave. search and rescue yesterday, guy name carl was telling me that the experience of this storm was the experience of a lifetime. listen. >> it was a surreal experience and probably the worst of my life. the water reached near to the first floor, but never came in.

at the height of the storm, it was like a white water rafting scene coming down the street. and as i looked out and i said to my wife, come see a house and she said, no, stop drinking. i said, no, we haven't had anything. as we watched this house float down the street right past our house and, as it did, it hit our car, which had been fine until that point. our car had been on blocks. spun our car around and parked it here as though it was intended to be. at the height of the storm, the water was above the windshield. and there's the house. we're fine. but, you know, it's devastation here. >> now, carl clarke says that because he can't come back to the island yet, he's not going to leave. refuses to do that. he has some propane, plenty of food, plenty of water. these are boat people and used to doing some of that. all the residents are asking

when they can come back? wednesday perhaps at the earliest according to mthe mayo. it may be longer than that. randi and everybody, back to you. >> well, jim, we know that carl is one of the few people left on this island and that other people can't come back. i know you're having difficulty hearing me. how frustrated is it for these people who can't make it back? >> very frustrating. i mean, victor, you know, they have homes here. they're attached to this island. many of them live year round and some have summer homes here. but they want to come back. they see the possibility that there's water in my basement. that is going to compound the damage unless i get that pumped out. i need to do that right away. let me on the island, let me do that. because they have to do all this heavy work and we slow them down in the long run. everyone bringing in their own contractors and nobody move in

the streets and all kind of problems and, so, i mean, a lot of heart ache because of the people. i get the phone calls. some of our cnn employees have houses here, please, check on my house. they don't have any word yet. the city set up a website and the website, i don't have the address right off the top of my head, i should. i think if you do a search on this township of long beach island, you'll find it. and they're taking photographs of the various houses, the various neighborhoods to give people an idea of what situation they may be in. victor, back to you. >> jim clancy reporting live for us this morning, thank you, jim. we have seen so many horror stories. communities torn apart by flooding and high winds and the devastating fires destroyed dozens of homes in queens, as well. >> one of the most heart wrenching tales comes from staten island. gary tuchman has more on the story of two little boys caught in that storm. >> reporter: a ford explorer on

the side of a street in staten island, new york. the car seats remain where two little boys, brandon and conner moore were sitting as their mother was driving during hurricane sandy desperately looking for shelter. what happened is sad, horrifying, terrifying. she was driving her suv down this street and plunged into this hole during the height of hurricane sandy. she then got out of the vehicle with her 2-year-old son and 4-year-old son, remember, it is pouring rain, torrential, the winds 90 miles per hour and she comes over here to this tree and holds on to the tree, grabs the branches and grabs the tree and holds on to it and holds on to her sons at the same time and she did this, according to police, for hours. that's what she told the police. she went up to this house behind me and knocked on the door and a man was inside and plead would him to let them inside the house. the man would not let her in with her sons.

she went to the balcony and wasn't able to break in and ultimately flood waters came and washed her sons away. everyone was hoping for optimism, but no hopes that the boys would be found alive. police divers walked through that swampy marsh, sadly, the bodies of both children were found not far from each other about a quarter mile away from where glenda last held them. family members say glenda is too distraught to talk to us. we wanted to meet the man who live in the house where glenda sought protection. nobody answered the door, but while we were standing near the house on public property, an angry man appeared. >> stop, no cameras here. >> can i ask you a question, did the woman knock on your door? >> no, sir. >> reporter: alan did not want to say his last name, but the house in question was his and he

says he was inside during the hurricane. police say glenda knocked on your door and asked to go inside -- >> no, absolutely not. >> what she told the police was not accurate? >> no. >> you saw a man come to your door? >> there are stairs in the back of the house and he must have been standing at the bottom of the stairs. >> what did he do? >> he took the concrete flower pot. i can show you. two of them, he threw one of them through the door. >> what they're saying is after you didn't let her in, she threw it and tried to get in. >> i had to stay there all night. i sat all night with my back against the door in the kitchen. >> let me ask you, the man threw the flower pot. he asked me to come out and help him. >> so, did you help him? >> what could i do to help him? >> i had these shorts on and my brother's jacket. i had a pair of shorts on with flip-flops. >> you did not see a woman and two children?

>> no. >> you saw a man? >> a man, yes. >> you must feel terrible for this woman and her children. >> of course, it's a tragedy. she shouldn't have been out. shouldn't have been out on the road. >> well, a lot of people are, sir. they look for help sometimes. >> there's nothing i could do. mayor said, people said rescue workers, don't endanger the lives of the rescue workers. if i would have been outside, i would have been dead. >> reporter: alan said he talked to police. gary tuchman, cnn. >> conner and brandon moore are believed to be among the youngest victims of superstorm sandy and that man asked why would anyone be out driving during the storm? the moore house was filling with water and glenda grabbed her boys and tried her best to escape. she was trying to make it to her sister's house in brooklyn, but

a strong storm surge and battering wave ended those hopes and the lives of those two little boys. or that printing in color had to cost a fortune. nobody said an all-in-one had to be bulky. or that you had to print from your desk. at least, nobody said it to us. introducing the business smart inkjet all-in-one series from brother. easy to use, it's the ultimate combination of speed, small size, and low-cost printing. [ mom ] we already have a tv. would you like to know more about it? yeah, but let me put my wife on speaker. hi! hi. it's led and it has great picture quality. i don't know... it's ultra slim...

maybe next year. you could always put it on layaway and pay a little at a time. alright. we'll take it! ah! i love you! hmm! ahem. football. [ male announcer ] shop now. get the hottest brands on your list today... like the lg 55 inch led tv. and put it on layaway now so you have more time to pay. walmart. and put it on layaway now so you have more time to pay. see life in the best light. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. thanks to the eyeglass guide its never been easier to find the right pair of eyeglasses. check out eyeglassguide.com today. brought to you by transitions lenses. progresso. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am

[ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

welcome back, everyone. 23 minutes past the hour now. in the battleground state of wisconsin, volunteers for the obama and romney camps aren't easing up on their ground game in the final stretch. in fact, they are doubling down, knocking on more doors, making more phone calls to encourage as many of their supporters as possible to get to the polls on tuesday.

our ted rowlands is in racine, wisconsin, this morning. i understand you caught up with some of these volunteers. >> yeah, randi, we went along with volunteers from both sides. this is a close race here and both campaigns are urging all their volunteers, not only from wisconsin, but from neighboring states to come here to wisconsin and help them get out the vote. this is what the political ground game looks like in racine, wisconsin. chelsea and adam are part of team romney and terry jackal is with team obama. each side is arm would addresses of people that support their candidate. their job is to meet them face-to-face, if nobody is home, leave a pamphlet, if somebody answers, get them to vote. >> i hope i'm making a difference. i believe that i am. >> reporter: both campaigns believe going door to door and making phone calls -- >> my name is ben and i'm

volunteering -- >> reporter: even though a lot of times the people answering the phone. >> some people just don't want to talk. >> reporter: or the door -- >> thank you very much for your time. >> reporter: aren't in the mood to talk. >> it gets old after a while getting political calls and people at your door all the time and one of those things that you can understand their perspective. >> they may say they're upset that they're getting cacked it is a higher possibility they'll get out and vote. >> reporter: republican voters are more reliable, but things are different this time around here in wisconsin. both sides are very well positioned to get out the vote. >> both campaigns, i think, have realized that if you don't have a real field operation in wisconsin, i would love to say that we have a ground game and they don't, but they do. >> reporter: according to a marquette poll released this week, president obama is up in wisconsin by eight points among romney over likely voters. when you look at the people who are both likely to vote and follow politics, that lead

shrinks to only two. both sides acknowledge that getting out the vote is crucial and a huge part of doing that is finding the volunteers willing to keep calling and knocking up till the election. >> is this your life now until a week from tomorrow? >> oh, yes, we'll keep going right until the very end and keep making calls, keep doing doors until the polls close. >> you're out there, i'm going to be out there more. >> quite a competition going there, ted. now, wisconsin, we should point out is paul ryan's home state. is it a surprise that the romney camp is having to work so hard there to try to seal this up? >> well, not really when you look at the fact that barack obama won wisconsin by 12 percentage points in 2008. in fact, it's more of a surprise that this is in play, really, to the point where it is. we show that poll where the president had a more significant lead than later polls that have come out, including a cnn poll, which brings it down into the margin of error.

this is absolutely a swing state and this is absolutely a razor thin line here and one thing we should point out, randi. both sides are going to be out continually from now until tuesday, except for four hours on sunday during the green bay packer game. both sides know you don't knock on a wisconsinites door. >> those cheese heads, they don't want to be disturbed. that's for sure. thank you, ted, appreciate that. thousands of voters standing in lines for hours just to get their ballots in early. we'll see what is behind these monster lines. [ female announcer ] introducing yoplait greek 100.

100% new. 100% mmm... wow, that is mmm... it's so mmm you might not believe it's a hundred calories. new yoplait greek 100. it is so good.

mortgage rates slipped back to near record lows this week. here's a look at where they stand now. [ dog ] you know, i just don't think i should have to wait for it! who do you think i am, quicken loans? ♪ at quicken loans, we won't make you wait for it. our efficient, online system allows us to get you through your home loan process fast. which means you'll never have to beg for a quick closing. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. bonkers, look at me when i'm talking to you. ♪ mom? dad? guys? [ engine turns over ] [ engine revs ] ♪ he'll be fine. [ male announcer ] more people